Buick Rendezvous Maintenance and Repair

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Early ones are problematic. If you are very handy around cars, or you get a warranty, fine, otherwise I would stay away from 2004 or earlier.

Our 2007 has 38000 miles on it now and has been flawless. Drives beautifully, tons of room, quiet, good gas mileage. We love it and I wouldn't trade it for anything else out there. Our friends have a 2006 and they feel the same way.

Every brand has lemons, foreign and domestic, its important to do your research before buying. So you're one step ahead of everyone else buying blindly!

I have a 2005 and I love it. Mine has captain chairs in the middle with a 2 seat bench in the back with cup holders between the back two seats. I love the fact that the back folds down anytime I basically need a truck type feature. I simply keep one of those waterproof blankets in the back storage compartment and I have a way to instantly haul things like mulch or wet soccer stuff instantly without getting my car a mess. I love all the fancy features of the backup system. I have only had to have some work to the front wheel area which was about $500 and replaced the fuel filter for about $50 and a new battery. I have about 70,000 on mine. Still love it and would definitely buy another one.

I have a 2006 Rendezvous CX with 75000 miles on it. I bought it brand new 4+ years ago. I have had one problem with it. The right front wheel bearing went at about 65k miles. Replaced it myself for less than $100. Other than oil/filter changes every 5k and new tires I have done nothing to it. More reliable than a Toyota. Been a great vehicle for our family.

I purchased the car last 2008 then i was having too much problems 1st the tank keeps on going up and down. 2nd my steering wheel is shaking sometimes but not too often 3rd the car is having a hard time accelerating but when you reverse the car it feels smooth but when you go forward the car feels like its on a foot break and when i came out it smells like burning tire but there is no smoke at all

1. Sounds like a fuel sender. The tank will need to be lowered and the part replaced,

2. Probably a tire balance issue, but could be warped rotors as well if it mainly happens when you're applying the brakes.

3. Possibly one of your brakes is binding. Whoever did the last break job may not have properly lubricated the caliper slide points and now the brakes have overheated, warped the rotors, and fried the pads.

Sounds like the last owner (or his shop) didn't do proper maintenance. Get those brakes checked out and you'll be back to enjoying the ride.

I dispise my 05 Rendezvous now. I loved it for awhile but I have put 8 yes 8 wheel bearings on it. My trunk opens whenever it wants. It sounds like a freight train. AWD leaking AWD disable. I just had it at the shop yesterday to replace a wheel bearing again. My car alarm goes off whenever when it's hot out it never wants to start. Brake Warning. Squeeks and Rattles. Speedomiter quit one day when i was 200 miles from home and I had to drive home without a speedomiter luckily I had verizon's excellent GPS which helped somewhat. Liftgate is SO HEAVY! Shocks went bad, power window on right side stopped, Transmission Surges when going uphill, CD player skips, Liftgate stopped opening, Vehicle Service Soon comes on when it is below 30 degrees farenheit. I have had so manyn problems I expected better from a BUICK next week we'll be getting either a ford escape or chrysler pacifica. :lemon:

NO IT IS NOT!!!!!!After having so many problems with it, I made up in my mind to trade it off. I was confronted by several car dealerships about this thing, known for transmission going out (had my replaced last year) known for to many minor problems, but costly fixes, and most of all known for the motor locking up (thats why I don't own one now). Still owing on it, an spending more money to fix it then the note itself. I surrendered it back to its owner, gladly.

I have brought many lemons in my life time, this lemon was the only one that presented itself as a lime....then a trash bag. I too thought more of Buick then this. Next time (To: Buick Inc.) stop trying to be like the next man and just be the better man.... This was the worst invention you have ever made.... A ticking time bomb....

I have a 2002 Rendezvous with about 167,000 miles on it, bought new in 2001. It's had more than its share of problems. I too have the temperature sensitive airbag sensor light issue. The dealer is about to replace the SDM module for about $800.00. I'm hoping that fixes it. This is the last expense though for this car. Any more and it gets recycled. (still rides good though}. By the way. I just put Continental tires on and it's like driving a whole new car. Very good handling. :shades:

Hello, I have a 2005 buick rendevous, got it 4 years ago with 11,000 miles and it currently has 86,000 miles, i've had several problems over the years with it. the current problem is the AWd disable light along with the anti lock brake light on, I took it to auto shop yesterday and they say it's the driver side hub and sensor needing replaced. I also have a problem the while driving, I'll be driving and the car feels like it is not getting enough power (sluggish) and I push on the accelerator and it won't pick up any speed, in town it does this a short period of time less than 1 min, but when on the highway when trying to speed up it won't pick up any speed or it will get sluggish for a longer time, I took it to a transmission shop and the first one said it sounds like the fuel pump, so the fuel filter was replaced first and then I took it to get a second opinion, and they said it's the catalyct converter and they also said if it was the fuel pump it wouldn't start. Does anyone have or had any of these same problems, if so please help. The speedometer stopped working at about 40,000 miles and still not.

I got a new hub and sensor for the driver side and that worked for the awd disable light and anti lock, and for the oter problem with it being slugglish on highway I got a catalic converter and that seems to be working.

:confuse: :sick: Hi there, I have a 2002 RDV that has an issue that for some reason can't get figured out... I am driving down the road and out of no where the car shuts off and the check gauges light comes on... all lights and radio are still working but the engine cuts off out of no where... I have taken it to so many mechanics since I bought it but they can't seem to find out whats wrong... I even took it to the Buick dealership and they said nothing is popping up on the computer... Transmission and engine are good, alternator is good, really weird, even passed emmissions, where i was hoping they might detect the problem. The only thing that really looks like needing attention is a tune up and I am praying that solves the issue, but i'm not sure and was really hoping I can get some input from anyone who has experienced this b4 or maybe even idea of what it could be? Buick service dept couldn't even find the issue. and now its gotten to the point where i can't even accelerate with out it sputtering and than shutting off now with check gauges light coming on... Its so weird, I just want to fix it because I really like my car, but i can even find what I need to fix... so weird!! lolz thanks so much for your feedback.

Couple things come to mind. First is fuel filter if it hasn't been changed in a while. Another is the C-305 connector which is known to have issues. It is a pass-through connector to the rear of drivers seat under carpet (about where a rear passenger would put their feet) and is subject to corrosion/water intrusion and can cause the exact symptoms you describe.

If no codes come up, but the scanned *does* communicate okay with the ECM then one might suspect a defective component that isn't designed to throw codes...like what Ray suggests---fuel filter, fuel pump, relay, etc.

If the scanned doesn't communicate at all with the ECM, that suggests a computer problem or wiring problem

You might carry a can of starter fluid and when this cut-off happens, see if you can squirt some into the air cleaner intake. If the engine starts up again briefly, then that tells you that it was a fuel shut off issue.

I am having the same trouble with my 2005. Every year since 2007 I have had to replace the front wheel hub and bearing - 1x on the left and 3x on the right. I fought GM for the extended warranty. It just expired, needless to say the front right went again.....I have also had to replace the transmission......I would not recommend this car. I have never felt safe in it.

That is obviously not normal. Hubs don't go bad every year. The earlier designs were prone to having problems, but not THAT often.

The bearings in these hubs are somewhat sensitive. Whatever shop/dealer is installing your hubs is probably placing pressure on the bearings and damaging them during install, causing premature failure. You should be demanding refund from your shop, and take it somewhere else where they know what they're doing.

I have a 2002 Rendezvous that done the same thing . I have checked the battery , all fuses all wiring and starter everything chechs good I still havenot got it started. It will jump at the starter and start and go dead after about 2sec. I need help

Hi Everyone its been sometime since I posted here. My 02 RDV has been working ok over the last three years (since I repaired 25 different items on it prior to 2007). You name it, it has been fixed (some under warranty some not (e.g., Transmission replacement at 90,000 km only 4 years old, faulty planatary gears....GM would not help or offer any help....I got it replaced by a good company using only Moog replacement parts, no probs since and costing less than half what GM quoted). Know I am dealing with general wear and tear. The air compressor seems to be gone (it does not have the pressure (diaphram gone?, all hoses are fine), I checked out the GM world parts web site and they want 600 bucks for it which I find way over priced for a little compressor in my opinion which is no different then a general 12V one you can purchase at Canadian Tire for 20 bucks. Has anyone replaced one as of yet and has anyone investigated installing and adapting a 12V compressor. I am quite handy so I wonder if this is possible.

Back in the old days of air shocks we use to run the airlines from the shocks to a tire valve screwed into the back bumper, when you wanted to pump them up you would just use the FREE air from your friendly neighborhood service station. You could probably just remove the compressor and "jumper" it with a short piece of copper pipe, then you could pump air into it through the inflater outlet in the rear cargo area. To retrofit a 12v compressor it would have to be weatherized to sit under the floor pan like the original otherwise to have it in the vehicle you would have to listen to it pound away when it needs to pump up the volume. I have had mine replace twice (luckily under extended warranty) and was pondering what to do the next time it goes, it really is a ticking time bomb. Let us know how you make out.

Option A - convert auto leveling system into manual system. See post of jpierce. Good "simple & low cost" idea on this method.

Option B - install 3rd party air compressor (under a passenger seat or in rear side panel) and install off/on manual buttons on the dash area. Or, install manual buttons inside glove box or center console area. Somewhere where items won't accidentally bump into them. Same idea many hot-rod folks install in their muscle cars - for their vehicle's air shocks.

Option C - Install Timbren SES units. If wondering, I installed Timbren SES unit's in my wife's mani van (that uses coil springs in its rear). If wondering, they replace factory bump stops and are an "install it and leave it" product. For our utility trailer towing needs, Timbrens SES units work great. They can be used in the RDV models as well. re: http://www.timbren.com/ses-van-suv.htm

For low cost and seldom need extra rear support, I'd go with option A. If you like "install it and leave it" upgrade, go with option B. And if into adjusting ride comfort for maximum enjoyment (regardless of vehicle loading), I'd go for option B. Then again, it depends on your technical install comfort levels as well..

Thanks allot for all the advice. The suggestions are great. Partstrain.com does sell a replacement unit, however the costs are still hight (500 bucks....etc). There are few options I am considering. 1. My parts supplier is looking into for me, 2. also there is junk yard stuff (used) and the after market stuff cheep compressor from Cnd Tire. I had a look underneath. There appears to be a pump and a small tank. The pump side looks pretty basic I maybe able to remove the old pump and adapt another on the same circuit or repair the existing one.

I will not really know until I have a closer look underneath. I consider anything possible.

Come to think of it, when I last had my compressor changed the dealer mentioned that they thought it might have been a problem in a air solenoid as the unit was pumping up but not releasing the air to lower the back end, they just replaced the whole unit anyway. Perhaps you have a bad or sticky air solenoid that is not closing its valve off completely (maybe dirt or something under the seats).

I have replaced all my wheel hub assemblies several times and my AWD and ABS light are still on. The dealer cannot find out the problem either. My latest problem is my power seat and mirror will not work. All fuses seem to be fine both under the dash and hood. Not sure what happened.

Hello Mhardwick,I am from GM Customer Service. Is your vehicle currently at the dealership? What is the VIN number? How many times have you had the vehicle in to be serviced at the dealership for the same concern? Can you please email me with the information? You can get my email by clicking on my name. Thank you,Mariah GM Customer Service

The last time I had the ABS light come on it wasn't the wheel hubs. It was the cable to the sensor and it was intermittent. The dealer said there is a fuse in the cable that was the problem. It still cost me $350.00 to fix.